'AKA ARRESTS BROKE US'

Suspended Deputy Police Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya has revealed explosive details about his fallout with Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, claiming their once-solid relationship collapsed after the arrest of suspects in the music star AKA's (Kiernan Forbes) murder case.

Sibiya was testifying before Parliament’s ad hoc committee probing corruption in the SAPS on Monday.

He said tensions with KZN Police Commissioner Mkhwanazi escalated dramatically after the suspects were arrested and questioned in the killing of the popular rapper in Durban.

Sibiya told MPs: “That is where the difference between myself and Mkhwanazi came in. And it was not meant to be a big issue."

Sibiya explained that during a covert operation in Cape Town, then-Police Minister Bheki Cele approached him for a briefing on the arrests.

When the Minister requested that the investigating team update him directly, Sibiya contacted the Deputy Provincial Commissioner in KZN instead of Mkhwanazi, citing past difficulty reaching him during meetings.

“I had confidence in our relationship,” said Sibiya.

“But when I finally spoke to the Provincial Commissioner, he was furious.”

According to Sibiya, Mkhwanazi accused him of bypassing protocol and undermining his authority.

What followed was a heated exchange, culminating in Mkhwanazi allegedly banning Sibiya from operating in KZN.

Sibiya said: “He told me, ‘We’ve got nothing to do with KZN from now on.’ I was banned from operating there, yet I’m a national head."

The suspension, Sibiya claimed, has hampered key national policing efforts in the province - including tackling rising cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking, contract killings, and the torching of trucks.

Sibiya added: “KZN is suffering. Projects from head office are stalling because there’s no cooperation."

Sibiya emphasised the fallout wasn’t personal but a result of misunderstanding and power dynamics.

He said efforts to fix the fractured relationship are essential to restoring crime-fighting operations in the embattled province.

Meanwhile, Sibiya is accused of corruption by Mkhwanazi in the police force. Mkhwanazi said Sibiya is behind the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).